Dr. Gervaise Gerstner, Dermatologist

"I grew up in Georgia. We tend to be a little vain, and we do not mind maintenance routines."

What made you become a dermatologist?
My father is a doctor, and I always knew that I would be a doctor. So after Princeton I went to med school, and I just love making women beautiful. I also like the fact that I save lives. I found a melanoma on a 32-year-old bride last year.

Any good skin-care tips?
It’s all the same old boring stuff: not smoking, wearing sunscreen every day, even when it rains and snows. And New York women in general are very skinny, but the skinnier you get, the more your face gets hollow and sunken and needs fillers and things. You should have monthly glycolic peels in the hands of a dermatologist, though there are wonderful little kits you can have at home. I have patients in boarding school and in Dubai, so I send them little kits and they send me pictures.

Do you ever go in the sun?
Never. I was just in St. Barts and I was under the umbrella, with a hat on.

So what’s your look?
I call it Mommy Doc, because half the time I’m running from the office to ballet practice. But so many of my patients are from the fashion world, and they do give me great advice and send me outfits. I’ve been the same size since high school; when I had babies, I gained 40 pounds and then in two weeks was back to normal.

Tell me about this outfit.
The dress I just picked right out of the Bergdorf Goodman catalogue—Barbara Schwarzer. And it’s just a little sable coat that I got at Pologeorgis.

Who does your hair?
Brad Johns. He’s done my hair since I was at Princeton. He’s one of my best friends. We collaborated on a new book called How Not to Look Old.

Are you southern?
I grew up in Georgia. We tend to be a little vain, and we do not mind maintenance routines. And I pass that on to my daughters. They’re very well coiffed. I get made fun of by some of the other moms because I love monogramming, and my daughters look just like a Christmas-card photograph.